Why roses?

[Primalclaws1974]

I often wonder what the allure of roses has been over the centuries? Yes, they are pretty, but not overly so. In nature, there are only limited colors. There are many wildflowers that come in much greater varieties, and in my opinion, are prettier. Roses are not really "sweet smelling". They usually just smell like water. Lilies have a much nicer fragrance. At some point (maybe Shakespeare?) romanticized roses, and they became the "flower of love", but from pure physical perspectives, there are grander flowers.

 

[R.R.]

I guess you feel about roses like I feel about diamonds...but I do love roses. I love their shape when they're not completely opened and their fragance. You must not have smelled a fragant rose like I have, because they don't smell like water at all.

 

[claudine]

Of course I can only speak for myself, but I think that roses, especially miniatures, are the most beautiful plants in the whole world. I love everything about them. They look very elegant, delicate and romantic. Also, some of them smell heavenly sweet

 

[Cereus]

I do admit that I enjoy roses and there's actually a very wide range of colors. I've had everything from plain white to purple and red so deep that it was almost black. Roses come in a riot of color besides the general white, yellow, pink and red. As to fragrances it's dependent on the variety. One of the most fragrant ones I've grown was a type called Oranges n' Lemons. One variety of purple rose that I thoroughly enjoyed and surprised people with was my Midnight Blue, unfortunately it wasn't fragrant in the least. Generic stem roses from florists in grocery stores and the like aren't very fragrant and Lowe's/Home Depot sell weak smelling roses too. If you want roses that are very vibrant in color or have lovely fragrance, I suggest purchasing from a nursery. I got all of mine from a nursery located in Gig Harbor, WA.

 

[claudine]

That's very true, Cereus, roses come in many different colors. Some of them look really unique. A few months ago, I posted pictures of my pink and green miniature. You can see them here: https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/pink-and-green-rose.3110/
And here is a red, yellow and pink one: https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/my-very-unique-miniature-rose.3450/

 

[Cereus]

I really like the pink and green because of the unusual coloring, if I had seen a large counterpart I would have purchased it years ago haha. I wonder if there's a full grown counterpart because that would be really cool to have. Is it very fragrant?

 

[claudine]

Thank you
They're both slightly fragrant. It's a very delicate, sweet scent. I love smelling it I wish roses could bloom in winter!

 

[Cereus]

Oh nice! Unusual coloring and fragrant, the best combination ever! I do too. Having roses that bloom in winter would be quite beautiful to look at. There's a flower called a Christmas Rose that grows in cold weather but it's not a true rose, the flower is a type of hellebore.

 

[zigs]

Rose hip syrup is one good reason

They were very symbolic in tudor times, sub rosa was a conversation under the rose bush that was considered totally in confidence

 

[gata montes]

Having roses that bloom in winter would be quite beautiful to look at. There's a flower called a Christmas Rose that grows in cold weather but it's not a true rose, the flower is a type of hellebore.

It is actually very possible to have roses that bloom throughout the year - as there are what are known as ever bloom or continuous bloom roses that will flower for 12 months of the year providing that they get plenty of sun - of which there are many varieties to choose from including many hybrid tea roses too - that are known to bloom year round when grown in hardiness zones 5 to 9

In fact even though I live in an area that is somewhere between zones 8 and 9 and we do often experience winters where the temperatures can drop to around somewhere between -12C to -15C - the majority of my roses flower continuously throughout the year without a break

As I too love Helleborus I would agree that they would be an excellent alternative - especially as there are so many different varieties to choose from - most of which can be found here

https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/helleborus-winter-flowering-perennial.1539/

 

[claudine]

Oh nice! Unusual coloring and fragrant, the best combination ever! I do too. Having roses that bloom in winter would be quite beautiful to look at. There's a flower called a Christmas Rose that grows in cold weather but it's not a true rose, the flower is a type of hellebore.

I absolutely love Christmas Roses. They're beautiful plants But I agree, they're not the same as true roses. If I had to choose between those two, I would pick the second. True roses are the best

 

[Cereus]

In Washington there's hardly any sun during winter since it's so heavily overcast even though we never dipped below 30F. I think even if I brought all 30 bushes indoors, I don't think they would have bloomed due to the strong lack of sunlight. Indiana may have a chance indoors during winter because it's fairly sunny during winter despite cold temperatures...I may give it a shot once I'm more settled.

Christmas Roses cheer me up in winter because they're pretty and add a splash of color. :3 Thanks for the thread link Gata! Darn I really need a more settled area to sink my feet in. There's so many awesome plants I wanna grow!

 

[SamClemensMT]

I often wonder what the allure of roses has been over the centuries? Yes, they are pretty, but not overly so. In nature, there are only limited colors. There are many wildflowers that come in much greater varieties, and in my opinion, are prettier. Roses are not really "sweet smelling". They usually just smell like water. Lilies have a much nicer fragrance. At some point (maybe Shakespeare?) romanticized roses, and they became the "flower of love", but from pure physical perspectives, there are grander flowers.

Funny that you bring it up. I once dated a girl who only wanted blue carnations. I came to realize that these flowers are very rare. So, she knew what she was doing when she asked for them.